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Alaska
2023
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I wake up and it
ain't pleasant but at least I am functional. After the situation at the
restaurant last night I'm not even going to waste my time going back in
there. I leave the key in the room and ride across to the convenience store
which happens to have really good breakfast burritos. I store them on the
bike and figure I'll ride till I can't then take a break. It's only 150
miles or so to the ferry and it doesn't board until 5 PM so I have loads
of time. If I can only go twenty miles or so at a time and have to stop
I will but I should still get there in plenty of time. The good thing is
if I can get on the ferry I will have 4 days to chill and take it easy -
which I really need at this point. |
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Highway
3 - the road from Haines Junction to Haines is such a lovely road and to
me the prettiest ride up here. |
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But once again it
is not the place to make a mistake as you would be laying here a long time
before the bears got you. |
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I've often compared
it to like riding in calendar - there's just one beautiful view ... |
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after another. I
really enjoy it even though I'm not in the best of physical shape right
now. |
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I make it to the
Tatshenshinni River pull off and decide this will work just fine for my
breakfast stop. |
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It has large parking
area that is easy to get into and there is no one there. That suits me just
fine as I really don't feel up to talking with anyone at this point. I manage
to get down one of the lovely breakfast burritos I got at the Haines Junction
convenience store but that's about it. |
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I take a long break
trying to rebuild some of my physical reserves then I painfully mount back
up and get after it. |
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It's really overcast
today as low hanging clouds obscure some of the views but it is still very
lovely. |
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It seems I may get
to ride right through some of the clouds. |
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But it's just a
lovely illusion as the road drops into the next valley. |
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If you only ride
one road in Alaska, this one would be the one that I would recommend above
all the others I have been on up here. |
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I come to the Alaska border
crossing and there is no drama. When I tell the officer what happened
in the Yukon, his reply was -
"Doesn't surprise me.
And it wouldn't surprise me if she did it on purpose."
Normally I would be getting
off and getting another Alaska border picture. But the pain involved getting
on and off is more than I can deal with right now.
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Given the width
of the river alongside the highway, I can only imagine what a raging one
it is at full flow. |
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As I near Haines,
I come to the ChilKat River which flows into ... |
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the Chilkat Inlet
all the way from the Chilkat Glacier some 50 miles or so away. |
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As I pull into Haines
at least I know I'm not that far from the ferry terminal which is on the
other side of town. |
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I ride out to the ferry terminal
to make sure I'm good to go though I know it will be a while before they
start loading. The lady behind the desk tells me
"The ferry is having mechanical
trouble and is stuck in Juneau"
and my heart begins to sink.
The prospect of having to ride all the way back in my current condition
is not a pleasant one. But then she adds
"It will be late but it
should get here. It will just not make the run over to Skagway to save
time."
So at least there's still hope
and since I've now got more time than I had before I decide to go looking
for a grocery or hardware store.
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Back in the downtown
area, I find an IGA and they have what I need - Super Glue and baking soda.
This will allow me to reassemble the left mirror cover that was shattered
in my get off. If I can pull this off I'll at least both front turn signals
even if I don't have mirrors. |
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Passerbys
give me funny looks as I am somewhat covered in this 'mysterious' white
powder as I reassemble my left mirror cover. Then my brain kicks in through
the fog of pain and I realize I will be on the ferry for 4 nights. If my
cell phone works I can call my wife and get her to do me a big favor. Since
I've got my workshop really organized now (one of my retirement projects),
I can tell her where I keep my spare ST1100 mirrors and she can ship me
two new mirrors to Todd's place in Washington. So I make the call and we
work through it. I have her send them UPS Next Day because their Next Day
ain't always the 'next day'. That should insure that the mirrors beat me
to Todd's place by the time I get off the ferry in Bellingham, Washington. |
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I get my business
done but I'm pretty wore out at this point and it's about lunch time. I
remember a good eatin' place nearby and head for it since I still have plenty
of time. The Bamboo Room is one of those great local places that you have
know about and I am saddened that they have a 'For Sale' sign posted. But
at least they are still open so I avail myself of their facilities. |
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Their specialty
is fresh halibut so that's what I order up with some fries - and it is really
good as usual. |
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And I show my appreciation
by being sure to clean my plate but I stop short of licking it. |
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I stay as long as
I feel that I can but I figure I'd better clear out before they start charging
me rent on my booth. I decide I'll run back out to the ferry and chase the
road that goes past the terminal just to see what's there. |
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It gives you a really
good view looking back down the inlet that you don't get on the other end
of it. |
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It's nice visual
relief to take my mind of my aching ribs and chest. |
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I pull into the
ferry and find out where I am supposed to park for loading. I notice that
though it's early, the crowds are already beginning to show up. I meet a
sweet couple riding a full dresser Indian - Gary and Mary - that are boarding.
Carie, a young lady from Arizona, is riding an BMW 650 and has tackled some
of the more challenging roads up her by herself. I commend her for being
willing to go it alone and giving it a whirl. |
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I am really starting
to sag but I find a spot to sit and just try to chill until loading time.
Finally the ferry arrives and we start the slow process of boarding, It
is a real battle with my physical 'challenge' to get BlueBelle strapped
down for the journey as bending over is extremely painful. I keep after
it, long after everybody is gone, and finally get it done to my satisfaction. |
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I am the last one up from the
car deck and then I am confronted with a harsh reality of a long flight
of stairs. I realize I cannot carry my traveling bag up the steps and
walk up the steps at the same time. My only option is to put the bag up
one step, take a step, then rinse and repeat. This is going to be a long
process but I have no other options. Fortunately there's a feller that
passes by the top of the stairs and sees what's going on. He calls out
"Do you need some help?"
"Yeah, I think I've got
some broken ribs and I can't tote this bag."
He graciously comes down and
carries the bag to the top of the steps and tells me
"I've broken my ribs 3
times and I know exactly what you mean."
I thank him and tell him he
can just drop it at the top of the stairs as I don't know where my room
will be. I find out later that his name is Glenn and he lives in Maine.
He ended up moving from where he originally lived because so many outsiders
were moving in. He bought another place which is a lot more peaceful and
to his liking.
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When
I am in intense pain, I usually sweat profusely and I am wringing wet. The
process of getting a room takes over two hours and I am at the very end
of the line. All I can do is stand there and drip until it's finally my
time. I get my key and head for my room and the blessing is my bag where
Glenn set it down is only 10 feet away from my cabin door. So I retrieve
it and manage to get it into my room without a lot of drama. . |
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I am
a real mess of wringing wet clothes and excruciating pain. I figure I will
try to clean up a bit before I head to the onboard restaurant for supper.
Showering is a bit of a trick but I manage to wash off at least the first
layer of muck and get changed into some dry clothes. The check in process
took so long that I find it is almost closing time for the restaurant. But
they have mercy on me and let me come in and get a booth. I order the special
to save time and it is some lovely brisket, a baked tater and squash. |
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It's
mighty tasty and I devour it like the starving man that I am. |
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One
of the amazing facts about being on board the ferry is they do not allow
tipping for the servers. Since the servers are government employees it would
be considered giving them a bribe. |
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With
very full tummy, I decide I'll go outside and get a little fresh air before
I begin the painful struggle to get in bed. |
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I get
to watch a very lovely sunset from the stern of the ferry then I make my
way back to my cabin. |
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At least
now I am off the road for a few days and can try to take it easy and hopefully
heal up a bit. My plan was originally to get off the ferry and explore the
little towns that it stops at along the way. Now my plan is to move as little
as possible and just take it easy. Once I do get into bed, I again search
for a position that I can stay in that does not put pressure on my left
side. My exhaustion soon kicks in and I fold up like a nickel card table. |
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